--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When men are full of envy they disparage…" description: "\"When men are full of envy they disparage everything, whether it be good or bad.\" — Tacitus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/tacitus-1552_envy_when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage_1597342.jpg" --- # When men are full of envy they disparage everything… ![“When men are full of envy they disparage everything, whether it be good or bad.” quote by Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/tacitus-1552_envy_when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage_1597342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/tacitus-1552_envy_when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage_1597342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/tacitus-1552_envy_when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage_1597342.jpg) > “When men are full of envy they disparage everything, whether it be good or bad.” [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Envy drives people to belittle all things, good or bad. **In simple terms:** Envy makes you criticize everything. Key Takeaway Guard against envy’s bias. Themes envy criticism human flaw Mood cautionary analytical Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - political discourse - personal relationships - media commentary Key Concepts ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - When have you criticized out of envy? - Can envy ever motivate improvement? A Different Perspective Envy can be a protective self‑esteem tool. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disparage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disparage-1827049/) [Disparage Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disparage-good-6066587/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Envy Disparage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy-disparage-6066586/) [Jealousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealousy/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-envy-1155954/) ## Related quotes > [How men envy and often hate these warm clocks, these wives, who know they will live forever. So what do we do? We men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/how-men-envy-and-often-hate-these-warm-clocks-these-wives-who-know/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If laying aside all worldly Greatness and Vain-Glory, I should be ask'd where I thought it was most probable that Men might enjoy true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-de-mandeville/if-laying-aside-all-worldly-greatness-and-vain-glory-i-should-be-ask/) [Bernard de Mandeville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-de-mandeville/) > [Need drives men to envy as fullness drives them to selfishness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/need-drives-men-to-envy-as-fullness-drives-them-to-selfishness/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [“Our path is not for everyone. Many people—I do not mean to disparage them? Lack the necessary resolve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/our-path-is-not-for-everyone-many-people-i-do-not-mean-to-disparage/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We don't need to reject or disparage technology. We need to put it in its place,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/we-don-t-need-to-reject-or-disparage-technology-we-need-to-put-it-in/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [The Chinese, whom it might be well to disparage less and imitate more, seem almost the only people among whom learning and merit have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/the-chinese-whom-it-might-be-well-to-disparage-less-and-imitate-more/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [Thinkers too often disparage men of action in ways that do them no credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/thinkers-too-often-disparage-men-of-action-in-ways-that-do-them-no/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I certainly don't disparage someone whose attitude towards their work is utterly different from mine - that's up to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-certainly-don-t-disparage-someone-whose-attitude-towards-their-work/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Don't disparage America's military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/don-t-disparage-america-s-military/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [Disparage no book, for it is also a part of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nachman-of-breslov/disparage-no-book-for-it-is-also-a-part-of-the-world/) [Nachman of Breslov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nachman-of-breslov/) > [“You don’t see someone flying and you begin to bite yourself for not being able to do that. You do what you can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-don-t-see-someone-flying-and-you-begin-to-bite-yourself-for-not/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [I avoid envy at all costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-winkleman/i-avoid-envy-at-all-costs/) [Claudia Winkleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-winkleman/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More by Tacitus > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Rumor does not always err; it sometimes even elects a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/rumor-does-not-always-err-it-sometimes-even-elects-a-man/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-than-those-who-most-rejoice-at-it-a/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/be-assured-those-will-be-thy-worst-enemies-not-to-whom-thou-hast-done/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/indeed-the-crowning-proof-of-their-valour-and-their-strength-is-that/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/formerly-we-suffered-from-crimes-now-we-suffer-from-laws/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously over the death of Germanicus than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-over-the-death-of-germanicus-than/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/once-killing-starts-it-is-difficult-to-draw-the-line/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The lust of dominion burns with a flame so fierce as to overpower all other affections of the human breast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-lust-of-dominion-burns-with-a-flame-so-fierce-as-to-overpower-all/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“It is a principle of nature to hate those whom you have injured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/it-is-a-principle-of-nature-to-hate-those-whom-you-have-injured/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Kindness, so far as we can return it, is agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/kindness-so-far-as-we-can-return-it-is-agreeable/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Posterity gives every man his true value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/posterity-gives-every-man-his-true-value/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The most detestable race of enemies are flatterers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-most-detestable-race-of-enemies-are-flatterers/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) [Explore all 227 Tacitus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## More Envy quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [There is no sweeter sound than the crumbling of one's fellow man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/there-is-no-sweeter-sound-than-the-crumbling-of-one-s-fellow-man/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Is it not strange that the more someone has, the less he feels he has? Envy can never be sated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-wheeler/is-it-not-strange-that-the-more-someone-has-the-less-he-feels-he-has/) [Jeff Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-wheeler/) > [I avoid envy at all costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-winkleman/i-avoid-envy-at-all-costs/) [Claudia Winkleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-winkleman/) > [Sometimes I envy painters, it is wonderful to remain in front of a bouquet of flowers a whole morning, or even longer. A photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/sometimes-i-envy-painters-it-is-wonderful-to-remain-in-front-of-a/) [Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/) > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“You don’t see someone flying and you begin to bite yourself for not being able to do that. You do what you can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-don-t-see-someone-flying-and-you-begin-to-bite-yourself-for-not/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sin to know, Can it be death? And do they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/knowledge-forbidden-suspicious-reasonless-why-should-their-lord-envy/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“Who would have thought you had so many supporters?" she whispered. "Not mine, my love. Yours. I had not a one till you started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-sinclair/who-would-have-thought-you-had-so-many-supporters-she-whispered-not/) [Michele Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-sinclair/) > [“Treachery is always a hairy caterpillar bred of a small butterfly called envy, no matter how lofty the principles involved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fazil-iskander/treachery-is-always-a-hairy-caterpillar-bred-of-a-small-butterfly/) [Fazil Iskander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fazil-iskander/) > [Yes, Clay Matthews has a long, golden, Fabio-esque flowing mane that most women would chick-slap someone for. And yes, the shiny, beautiful, dark locks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-foudy/yes-clay-matthews-has-a-long-golden-fabio-esque-flowing-mane-that/) [Julie Foudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-foudy/) > [“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) [Browse all 2,111 Envy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When men are full of envy they disparage everything, whether it be good or bad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tacitus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage-everything-whether-it-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Envy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage-everything-whether-it-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/tacitus-1552_envy_when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage_1597342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/tacitus-1552_envy_when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage_1597342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/tacitus-1552_envy_when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage_1597342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When men are full of envy they disparage everything, whether it be good or bad.” — Tacitus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tacitus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When men are full of envy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage-everything-whether-it-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/when-men-are-full-of-envy-they-disparage-everything-whether-it-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```